Out of the Ashes
by marksmom
Summary: AR - When Blaise is given the chance to get the one he's always wanted, he jumps in, feet first, and holds on to what's his.  Slash - Warnings inside - Rated M
1. Chapter 1

**_THANK YOU TO MY BETA - TRIPPINGOVERYOU - FOR THE WONDERFUL WORK! KISSIES!_**

_**Disclaimer:**_ I own nothing recognisable to the general public. Harry Potter and all of his compatriots belong to JK Rowling and her publishers.

_**Warnings:**_ Rated M for a reason; SLASH (Male/Male relationship); slight OOC; Alternate Reality; and, believe it or not, NO Mpreg (quite a feat for one of _**my**_ stories!)

_**Pairings:**_ Harry/Blaise, past Harry/Draco, past Harry/Oliver Wood; twinge of Ron/Hermione; implied Ginny/Pansy Parkinson.

~OOooOO~

"Blaise! Blaise! Have you heard?" The tall, dark skinned man turned to see who was calling him. He was taken off guard as a red-headed dervish ran into him, almost knocking him off of his feet. She was followed, at a more sedate pace, by a dark haired woman, who hugged him tightly.

"Ginny...Pansy, to what do I owe this pleasure? And what am I supposed to have heard?" Blaise Zabini returned Pansy's hug and gently pried Ginny Weasley from around his waist. He was a beautiful mix of African and Italian, with dark, soulful eyes and short cropped wavy black hair. He knew he was gorgeous and made no effort to hide his pride in that fact.

"Draco broke things off with Harry!"

Blaise stilled, barely breathing. "Are you certain this time? The last time you said that, Harry and Draco were seen the next day shopping for rings."

"This time, I'm the one who was witness to it, Darling." Pansy looked up at her friend. "Draco said that Harry was boring and needed to liven up before he would consider going out with him again. That was about 3 weeks ago. Harry's left his house for the first time since then, just today. Ginny and I convinced him to have lunch with us. I don't think I've seen him quite this down in years."

Blaise led the two women to a table at a curbside restaurant. He ordered drinks, knowing what they liked, and then looked at Ginny and Pansy. "What does this have to do with me?"

Pansy looked at Ginny, then back at Blaise. "Here's your chance. You've been waiting since seventh year for this." Ginny nodded repeatedly, making Blaise wonder how much sugar laced caffeine she'd had that day.

"Ladies, as much as I appreciate the thought, I really don't want to try to clean up after Draco. Potter's got to be pretty messed up, right about now."

"Blaise, don't try to back out of this. You know you want Harry; you've wanted him for years. Now, with a little bit of patience, he can be yours." Pansy smiled at him, noting the slightly hopeful look in his eyes.

Blaise's heart sped up at the thought. "How? If he's still moping over Draco, how am I supposed to catch his eye?"

Pansy smiled again, showing teeth, and that worried Blaise; it never boded well when Pansy smiled with teeth. "A little bit of subterfuge and Harry will be falling all over you. It won't take long before he realizes that you are so much better for him than Draco ever was."

Blaise leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "What kind of subterfuge?"

"Simple," said Ginny, leaning forward too. "Let him think that you're going to help him get Draco back." When Blaise's expression darkened, she sat back in her chair. "I'm not saying that you'll be doing that, you're going to be helping him get together with you."

"Alright, now I'm intrigued. Explain."

The women told him that the best way to get Harry to work with him would be to get him to think that Blaise was going to help him get back together with Draco. Blaise would say that he could help Harry by making Draco jealous. While that would be one of the results, that wouldn't be the result they would be working toward. He would escort Harry around, making sure that Draco saw them together, touching and maybe snogging. He could take Harry shopping for new clothing, something Harry had never allowed Draco to do. Blaise would have to put up with the press following them around, but it would help to get the message across to Draco that Harry had moved on.

"But what if Potter decides that he wants Draco more than me? What do I do then? I'm not going to invest my heart in something only to have it broken later on. That's the only reason I've never approached Potter before; I'm not willing to open myself up to that kind of hurt."

"Give Harry a little bit of time, once he sees how real you are and how fake Draco is, it'll be obvious, even to him, how well you two suit each other. Draco thinks that he's just going to run right back to him, but Harry told us today that he has no intention of doing that. All we have to do is suggest that a little jealousy will work wonders and Harry will be there, hook, line and sinker."

"But if he has no intention of running back to Draco, how will jealousy work? I don't understand the logic."

Ginny smiled at him as if he was a small child. "He still wants to be with Draco, but doesn't realize how bad Draco is for him. Once he sees how good _**you**_ are for him, any thoughts of being with Draco will go out of the window. He admitted that he always thought you were handsome, so if you play on that, he'll fall into your lap."

The mental images that phrase brought to Blaise's mind were extremely arousing. True, he wanted Harry, but was he willing to risk his heart for someone who might go running back to his ex at the slightest hint of interest from the other? Was the possible outcome worth the potential pain? Yes, Blaise decided, it was worth it.

"Alright, let Harry know that I might be interested in 'helping' him make Draco jealous. Who's Draco with now, anyway?"

"Oliver Wood." Pansy's sneer was telling.

"Harry's ex?"

Ginny nodded. "The same. Draco figured that he would try Oliver out for a while, just to see what had Harry all over him right after he graduated. That's one reason why Harry was so down about this. It's one thing to break up with someone to go out with someone new, but to then go out with your ex-boyfriend's former lover? That's just wrong on so many counts."

Blaise nodded, beginning to formulate a plan in his mind. With just a little effort on his part, Harry could definitely be shown how much better than Draco Blaise was. Not only that, but Blaise truly cared for Harry, he wasn't out to get what he could from the saviour of the wizarding world.

"See if he'll meet me here tomorrow at noon. He and I can discuss plans then. Tell him that he has to be willing to try, or it won't work."

The two women nodded and rose, Blaise stood with them and bid them goodbye, his mind already moving on to plans of how to make this work in his favour.


	2. Chapter 2

~OOooOO~

At ten minutes to twelve, Blaise walked down the street in Diagon Alley, making for the restaurant he'd been at yesterday with Ginny and Pansy. Harry was already sitting at a table, looking around him. He tried to make the movements seem offhand and nonchalant, but Blaise could see the nervousness behind them. Why would Harry be nervous?

Harry _**was**_ nervous. Why did he have to agree to meet Blaise Zabini here, in public? He wasn't even sure he wanted to get back together with Draco, but he let Pansy and Ginny convince him that Blaise was willing to help him. As Pansy had pointed out, if nothing else, it would get him a new wardrobe as his own was sadly lacking. He had never understood the importance the Slytherins placed on clothing, but if that's what it took to make the girls happy, then he would do it. He turned his head and caught sight of Blaise walking toward him and his breath caught; he had forgotten just how handsome the dark Slytherin was. As Blaise walked up to the table, Harry stood.

"Blaise, it's been ages."

"Harry." The two shook hands, Harry's lingering just a moment longer than was appropriate for friends. They sat and perused the drink menu; Harry chose a sweet white wine and Blaise chose Merlot.

"Pansy and Ginny let me know that you might be interested in my particular brand of help. Were they telling the truth?"

"Yes, they were. I'm...hopeless...when it comes to knowing how to snag someone. I've never understood the attraction I have for other people. Pansy seems to think that, if I concentrate on making myself look better, Draco will want me back." He paused for a moment. "I'll be honest with you Blaise, after this one, I'm not sure I want him back."

"Why not? I thought you two were fated to be together."

"Not if he can't keep it in his pants long enough for us to find out. He's not exactly the most faithful of persons." Harry watched as the other man's expression darkened in anger. "Not that he was constantly unfaithful, just when he got bored."

"Let me guess," Blaise sneered, "he got bored frequently."

"Not as often as you would think. Anyway, he chose to mess around with Oliver this time and I'm not sure I can forgive him for that."

"Why would him shagging Oliver Wood make it hard for you to forgive him?"

"Oliver was controlling, very controlling. Draco knows how Oliver treated me and by Draco going out with him, it gives me the impression that he's agreeing with Oliver's behaviour."

Blaise struggled to keep his anger in check. How could anyone treat Harry Potter like that? _**HIS**_ Harry! Yes, Harry was now his; he would make sure of it. "Hmm...let's see what we can do for you." He sat back and moved his chair slightly so that he could get a better look at Harry. Nice body, long legs, broad shoulders...

"Armani."

"Excuse me?"

"We need to go to Harrods. I _**am**_ assuming that you are wealthy enough to afford a shopping spree, and that you have the Gringotts card."

Harry chuckled slightly. "Yes to both. With the Potter and Black fortunes, I think I've got it covered." He cocked his head slightly and looked at Blaise. "You know, I think I've just figured out why I never let Draco take me shopping."

"Why is that?"

"He insisted that he pay for everything, like I didn't have the money and couldn't afford new clothing. It's one thing to know you don't have the funds available, but it's something else to be _**told**_ that you don't and aren't allowed to prove that you do."

"He wouldn't let you pay for anything?"

"No, he thought that the Potter family was much like the Weasleys used to be. Hell, the Potter vaults are extensive, I've got enough in just those to live like a Malfoy for the rest of my life and never have to work. Then, there are the Black vaults that I inherited when Sirius died."

Blaise began to grin; it didn't take very long before it morphed into a large smile. "Harry, we _**really**_ need to go shopping. Even if you decide you don't want Draco back, you could always do with some new clothes, ones that make the most of your body. I suggested Harrods because it's Saturday and Draco usually goes shopping at Harrods on Saturday afternoons."

"Well, then, let's eat lunch and then you can take me shopping. I trust your taste; you always look as if you just stepped out of a fashion magazine."

"Good...now, one other thing...if you really want to try to make Draco jealous, we're going to have to do some touching."

"Touching? You mean holding hands and the like?"

"That, arms around each other's waists, snogging...you know, the general relationship stuff." He held his breath, waiting for Harry to shoot down the suggestion.

Harry felt his body react to the thought of snogging Blaise. Yes, he could see that happening. "Alright, just no public groping."

Blaise smiled again. "I promise, no public grope sessions, not unless you start them." He heard Harry's breath hitch and smirked inwardly. Oh yes, Draco was not getting Harry back and Blaise was going to have the time of his life making sure of it.

~OOooOO~

After eating, the two men took a muggle taxi to Harrods. Blaise certainly knew his way around the huge store; he was able to dodge salespeople trying to spray them with cologne and the occasional salesperson attempting to sell them something they didn't want or need. He walked directly to the men's tailoring section, where he stood and looked around like he owned the place. At least three assistants headed toward them, two veering off when a middle aged assistant reached them first, appearing in front of them as if by...magic. Harry raised one brow slightly.

"Ah, Mr. Zabini! It's a pleasure to serve you again. How may I assist you today?" The man's obsequiousness grated on Harry's nerves, but he supposed he'd best put up with it; after all, if this was the man who dressed Blaise, Harry definitely needed his help.

"William, my _**friend**_, Harry Potter, needs some assistance with at least one new suit." Harry didn't miss how the man's eyes widened when Blaise dropped his name into the conversation, nor did he miss the subtle emphasis Blaise had given the word 'friend'.

The man turned to Harry, almost salivating at being able to say that he was the one who had assisted The Boy Who Lived with his new wardrobe. "Of course, if you gentlemen will follow me, I will be happy to get you set up. Are there any particular designers that you wish to patronize, Mr. Potter?"

Harry looked at Blaise, who answered the question for him. "Turnbull & Asser and Armani."

"Excellent choices Mr. Potter. If you will give me a moment, I need to make certain that a room is free." Harry and Blaise sat in two chairs that William indicated as he went to secure a room for them.

Blaise leaned in to speak into Harry's ear. "If Draco's here, I've just assured that he knows you're here _**and**_ with me."

"I thought it was interesting how wide his eyes got when you mentioned my name and again when he registered the meaning of the word 'friend'. I'm assuming he's a wizard."

"Yes, and he's the best Harrods has to offer." Blaise leaned in a little closer, enjoying the slightly musky scent that Harry wore. His attention was diverted by movement off to his left. "Don't look, but Draco and Oliver have just seen us."

Harry nodded his head, but didn't turn. He did, however, surprise Blaise by picking up his hand and pressing a kiss to the palm before moving said hand to Harry's thigh. Sneaking a look in Draco's direction, Blaise saw that Oliver had an arm around Draco's shoulders and one hand on his chest, as if holding him in place.

"Nicely done, Harry. As he doesn't know that we're aware of his presence, that move was perfect. Are you sure you haven't done this before?"

Harry laughed. "Yes, I'm sure." He began moving a finger in small circles on the back of Blaise's hand, feeling it tense on his thigh. Harry was now positive he didn't want Draco back, but he wanted to be sure that Blaise wanted him before saying anything more. "I saw you do that once to Theo Nott, when we were in school. I thought it might work well in this situation, don't you think?"

Blaise had to clear his throat before he could answer Harry. "I don't remember doing that, so I'll take your word for it." Blaise looked up as William came to a halt in front of them.

"Mr. Potter...Mr. Zabini, if you would be so kind as to follow me, I will show you to a room and we may begin." He led them to the room next to Draco's, and then left to get his tape measure. Harry was sure that this was done on purpose. The walls were fairly thin, so they were able to hear some of the argument going on in the next room.

"-broke up with him!"

"Yes...Zabini...not worthy of him!" Blaise didn't know if this meant that he wasn't worthy of Harry or that Harry wasn't worthy of him. Either way, the knowledge that Draco felt that way didn't sit well.

Harry could feel the tension rolling off of Blaise and laid a calming hand on his arm. Moving them closer to the shared wall, he spoke loudly enough for it to be heard. "Not here, Love. We'll take care of that later." The laughter in Blaise's eyes was worth the use of ambiguous words.

William returned with a tape measure and asked Harry to strip to his pants and socks, so that he could get accurate measurements for the suits. Blaise had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from gasping when Harry shucked his trousers. The man was definitely hiding things under his ill-fitting clothing. His chest and abdomen were well defined and had only a light dusting of body hair, leading down into the waist of his tight fitting boxer briefs. He crossed his right leg over his left, so that his reaction to Harry's almost nude body wasn't visible.

The tape measure took off at lightning speed, wrapping itself around Harry, pausing only to allow William to read the measurements and record them. As soon as the measurements were taken, the tape measure returned to William and slid itself into a pocket.

"What colours do you think would suit, Mr. Potter?"

Harry again looked at Blaise who looked at him, considering the options. "Two black suits, one dark grey and one dark grey with pinstripes." William nodded and left the room. Left alone, they could now hear more of the conversation going on in the next room. Draco's voice had risen, as had Oliver's.

"Bloody Hell Draco! Do you want to be with Harry or not? You said that you were through with him, that he wasn't exciting enough for you. Was that a lie?"

"No, it wasn't! Harry _**is**_ boring! He doesn't like to go anywhere or do anything, he just wants to sit on the sofa and cuddle. I'm not the cuddly type!"

"You've got that right, Malfoy." The words were said under Harry's breath, but Blaise heard them clearly. _So Harry likes to cuddle, hmm?_ The door opened again and William stepped in, closing the door swiftly behind him, so that no one could see in. He held several suits and, one by one, Harry tried them on. He preferred the Turnbull & Asser suits, they fit better and he liked the materials. He chose the black and both grey suits. William took the suits so that his personal assistant could alter them properly. Harry pulled his clothing back on and stood next to the wall again.

"So, where do we go for shirts to go with the suits? I've never been in Harrods before." His smile let Blaise know that he was doing this for the benefit of the two next door.

"The level below us. We'll also get shoes and ties there. If you want casual wear, there are areas on both this floor and the one below."

"Let's look at the shirts and ties; I want to complete the suits first." Harry was almost laughing as he heard the frantic sounds of someone trying to dress in a hurry. "Let's go."

They left the room, meeting William, who assured them that all four suits would be ready by the time they left that day. Blaise nodded and steered Harry toward the escalator to the lower floor after seeing Draco and Oliver leaving their room, followed by a blustering assistant who kept telling them that they weren't quite done yet.

This set the tone for the remainder of their shopping trip. Wherever they went, Draco and Oliver would follow, even up to the fourth floor toy department, where they went so Harry could get a toy or two for Teddy. Both Blaise and Harry were hard pressed not to laugh when they saw the look on Draco's face when he realized where they were. Draco had no need to be on that floor, so he and Oliver immediately took the escalator back down one floor to wait for them to come back down. They needed to go back to the tailoring department, to pick up Harry's suits and the rest of the clothing they'd had sent there, but decided to use the lifts, so that they could bypass Draco. They were just getting into a taxi when Draco came through the Brompton Road exit, alone.

Draco stood at the curb, hands on his hips, as he watched the taxi drive away. Oliver came out, huffing with exertion, as he carried all the bags. "Fuck, Draco! Look, I'm not in this to make Harry jealous, he doesn't do jealousy!"

Draco turned to look at him. "What do you mean by that?"

"Once Harry makes up his mind, he doesn't change it. If he thinks you're with me, then he won't touch you again until we're not together. Do you want to end things?"

Draco shook his head. "No. You are, by far, much more exciting to be around." He wrapped his arms around Oliver's neck and brought their lips together for a kiss. "I chose you and that's how it's staying." _For now_, thought Draco, _at least __until I can get Harry back!_


	3. Chapter 3

~OOooOO~

Harry and Blaise laughed the whole way back to The Leaky Cauldron. They entered the pub and then shrank Harry's many purchases, being careful with the suits. They sat at a table in the corner and ordered dinner. As they were eating, they laughed some more and discussed what to do next.

"I had a really great time today, Blaise. What can we do next that will be just as much fun?"

Blaise thought for a moment, but an advert on the telly caught his attention. It was for the next day's Quidditch game between the Chudley Cannons and Puddlemere United. He looked at Harry and judged by his expression that he'd seen the advert as well. "Well, we could go out to dinner and pray that Draco picks the same restaurant..."

"I hear the 'or' in that statement. What's the other option?"

"We could catch the game. Isn't Puddlemere Wood's team? He's the seeker now, right?" Harry nodded, quickly catching on.

"It is, he is, and Draco will probably be there. How would we get tickets this late though?"

"I have reserved seats at several stadiums throughout the country, so that if I want to see a game when I'm away on business, I don't have to fight with someone to get tickets. I renew them every year."

Harry grinned and Blaise quickly learned that a grinning Harry is a plotting Harry. "You do realize that we need to buy all sorts of nauseating orange clothing."

Blaise shuddered. "Why orange? Puddlemere's colours are...oh. Do we have to?"

"Mmhmm, and if we go now, we should be able to get to Quality Quidditch Supplies before they close for the evening." Harry stood and walked to the bar to pay Tom for their dinner. He waited for Blaise to reach him, then took Blaise's hand as they left the pub. Harry heard a few whispers from behind them and knew that he had been seen holding Blaise's hand...as he had intended. After a half an hour, during which he nicely begged the owner to keep the store open for him, he and Blaise had procured two jackets, two scarves and a pair of socks for Harry, all in a bright shade of orange. Blaise shuddered again as they left the shop.

"Harry, I know you like Quidditch, but everyone's going to think you're a rabid Cannons fan when they see this."

"I know, it'll do the team some good to have the backing of The Boy Who Lived, in more ways than just one."

"I'm not sure I understand."

"I'm the biggest sponsor that the Chudley Cannons have. All those new uniforms, the new brooms and new equipment? I supplied those."

Blaise hummed under his breath. "And do the Cannons do the same thing other teams do when one of their sponsors attends a game?"

"If you mean highlight them and their companions on the screens repeatedly for everyone and their brother to see, yes, they do. I just have to make sure that the people who handle the screens know that I'm there. We will have our faces, and all this orange, plastered on those floating screens for everyone to see...and comment on."

"Harry?"

"Hmm?"

"Remind me never to piss you off."

Harry merely grinned in response.

~OOooOO~

Harry knew that Ron and George would be attending the game, so he fire-called Ron the next morning. "Ron, you're going to the game, right?"

"Wouldn't miss it! Guess what, I even talked Hermione into going!"

"What did you have to promise to get her to agree?"

"Just foot massages for the rest of her pregnancy."

Harry chuckled. "I don't know who's more manipulative, you or her. Is George still going?"

"Yeah, I have three reserved seats. I guess I'll have to up that to four once the babies are born."

"Ron, give them a chance to walk before you start warping their minds with the Chudley Cannons. Anyway, the reason I called is because I wanted to let you know that I'm going to be there. I'd appreciate it if you'd let Luna know, so that I can be featured. Tell her that we'll be in Blaise Zabini's reserved seats."

Ron sputtered and spat tea across the table. "Are you...you're serious! Look, mate, I heard from Ginny about what Malfoy did, and I think it's rotten, but are you sure you want to go splashing your and Zabini's faces across the screens during one of Wood's games?"

"Yes Ron, I'm sure."

"Ginny said that Zabini is helping you to get Malfoy back. Do you really want the git to come back to you?"

"No, but don't tell Blaise I said that. He thinks he's helping me get Draco, but I'm determined to get Blaise."

Ron's jaw dropped and bounced around a few times before he had the presence of mind to put it back where it belonged, then he smiled. "Good for you, Harry! Zabini's far better than Malfoy ever was...for a Slytherin. I think you'll be good for each other. I can't wait to tell Hermione!"

"Don't tell her just yet; let me get a little more firmly planted in Blaise's life before you do. I don't want her to get excited and say something. I know you'll keep it to yourself, but Hermione can't keep a secret to save her life."

"Alright, mate. We need to get everything together, so we'll see you there."

Harry pulled his head out of the floo just as Blaise apparated into his living room. Blaise was struck dumb by the sight of Harry's arse wiggling around on the floor and had to exert a lot of will power to keep from joining him down there. This wasn't going to be very easy on him if the sight of a fully clothed Harry, on his hands and knees, got him hard. He looked around, turning his body so that Harry couldn't see the effect he had on him. He wracked his brain to think of something disgusting enough to get his erection to go down...ah, he had it...Snape and Dumbledore, together and naked. **_UGH!_** Yes, that worked wonders; he stored that information away for future use, he knew he'd need it again.

Harry stood and turned, startled by Blaise's appearance in his sitting room. "Oh! I didn't hear you come in. I'm assuming that you were able to apparate in with no problems." Blaise had seen Harry to his flat the night before, so that Harry could key him into the wards and he'd be able to apparate directly into the flat.

"No, no problems. How are we going to let the screen keepers know that you're going to be there?"

"I just spoke with Ron; he's going to tell Luna that I'll be there and that we'll be in your seats. She'll take it from there. This is going to be fun!"

Blaise looked at Harry and saw a spark in his eyes that hadn't been there when they had first met yesterday...come to think of it; it hadn't been there any of the times that Blaise had seen Harry since they had left Hogwarts. It made him wonder just how badly Wood, and then Draco, had hurt Harry. If Weasley was going to be at the game, Blaise was going to speak privately with him, so that he could find out. Blaise had come to the conclusion that he needed to speak with _**all**_ of Harry's friends, not just Ginny and Pansy.

~OOooOO~

They arrived at the stadium, apparating into the secluded apparation point reserved for prime ticket holders. They made their way to the entrance where they met up with Ron, Hermione and George. Blaise noticed the looks being thrown his way by George Weasley and raised an eyebrow. George's lips thinned and he grabbed Blaise's arm, physically dragging him off to the side. Harry looked on in concern.

"Don't worry, mate. George just wants to find out what his intentions are toward you."

Harry looked back at Ron, who winked, then at Hermione. "Don't worry Harry, he won't hurt Blaise."

"It's not Blaise I'm worried about."

Blaise found himself swung about to face one very angry redhead. "May I ask what that was all about?"

"What are you doing with Harry?"

"It's just as well that you want to know, because I wanted to speak with all of Harry's friends."

George's eyebrows headed toward his hairline and he tilted his head slightly. "What do you want to know?"

"How badly did Wood and Draco hurt Harry? I don't want to hurt him, and I need to know what I have to fix before I can ask him to be with me." George stared at him for a moment, and then nodded.

"Right, well, has he told you that Wood refused to let Harry go anywhere without him? Has he told you that, if Harry went somewhere and didn't tell Oliver where he was going, Oliver would basically trap Harry in the flat until Harry had 'learned his lesson'?" Blaise's eyes widened, then narrowed in anger. George wasn't done yet, though. "Draco used to go out with Harry and then flirt with every decent-looking guy that happened to walk past them. He used to belittle Harry in front of people and poke fun at the way he dressed; by the way, he looks very nice today...your doing?"

Blaise nodded. "We went shopping at Harrods yesterday."

"He let you take him shopping? Did you insist on paying or did he?"

"I asked if he was wealthy enough to afford a spree at Harrods and he was overjoyed to pay for himself. He told me that Draco wouldn't let him, nor would he let Harry prove that he could." Blaise looked to the entrance and saw that people were now entering. "Let's go in; I still want to talk more with you. I want to know everything I can about Harry, his past and his present, so that I can be a part of his future."

Harry was relieved to see that Blaise and George were both still in one piece and that no hexes had been thrown. He took Blaise's arm and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Are you going to tell me what that was about?"

Blaise shook his head. "It's between him and me...let's just say that your friends are very protective of you."

True to his word, Ron had contacted Luna to let her know that Harry would be attending that day's game and where he would be sitting. Blaise's seats were a few rows up from Ron's, but, as he had the entire first row of the box, they invited Ron, Hermione and George up to sit with them. Hermione sat on the outside, being six months pregnant, she had to use the loo quite frequently, and Ron sat beside her with George on his other side. Harry sat next to George and Blaise sat on his other side, keeping Harry's hand in his, in his lap, the entire time.

The first time Harry took notice of the screens was when there was a flash of two joined hands, one light, the other dark. The scene slowly panned up so that the audience could see who belonged to the hands. Harry leaned in and whispered in Blaise's ear. "Here it comes...Draco's only two rows down; he's not seen us yet." The panning stopped on Harry and Blaise's faces as Harry leaned into Blaise's side, the overall effect was exactly what Harry had been hoping for. It showed a scene of intimacy, but nothing overly sexual; it gave a hint that something lay beneath the surface, but it didn't scream it out loud.

The letters scrolling across the bottom gave Harry and Blaise's names, the fact that Harry was the Cannon's première sponsor and, surprisingly enough, the general area where they were sitting. Harry knew Luna wouldn't give the direct location, but she always seemed to know exactly what was needed at any point in time. Harry felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Luna right behind him, dreamy smile in place. He reached up to hug her and invited her to sit in the last seat, on the other side of Blaise.

"Was that to your liking, Mr. Première Sponsor?"

Harry smiled, "It was exactly what I wanted, thank you. You remember Blaise Zabini, right? He was in my year, Slytherin House."

She took Blaise's proffered hand and stared into his eyes for a moment. "Yes, yes...I think you'll do quite nicely. Just be careful...the other one will try, you know he will. He won't succeed, but he will try. In the end, you'll both get what you want." She touched Blaise's hand again and closed her eyes. "There are two who need you to find them, and find them you shall. One who is locked away will help, but for a small price. Get him what he wants and the information will be yours." She bid them goodbye and left, leaving Blaise staring after her retreating form.

"Is she always like that?"

"Always has been. She should have taken Trelawney's place at Hogwarts; Luna's a true seer. I wonder what she meant by 'there are two who need you to find them'?"

"Got me Harry, I have no idea."

The game turned out to be far more interesting than either Blaise or Harry could have imagined. Draco kept staring up at them, spending more time looking at them than at his boyfriend's game. Oliver hadn't noticed them until he made a dive for the snitch, which was fluttering right in front of one of the screens. Right before he and the Cannon's seeker converged on the snitch another shot of Harry and Blaise appeared on the screen, distracting Oliver. The Cannon's seeker took advantage of the distraction and grabbed the snitch, ending the game. Ron howled...the Chudley Cannons had won their first game against Puddlemere United.

As Draco stood and tried to make his way up to where they sat, Harry turned to Blaise. "Can we apparate out of here?"

Blaise nodded and placed an arm around Harry. Harry turned quickly to Ron, "Come to my flat as soon as you're out." Ron nodded and Harry apparated himself and Blaise into the sitting room of Harry's flat. They relaxed immediately; Draco had almost made it up to where they were before they left. The last thing either of them wanted was for Draco to make a scene in public. Just then the wards around Harry's flat sounded an alarm that someone was trying to get in, someone who wasn't keyed in.

Blaise looked at Harry then cast a spell that made the door see-through, from their side only. Outside the door, fighting to get past the wards, was Draco. Harry had changed the wards to exclude Draco as soon as he had found out that Draco was seeing Oliver, but Draco hadn't known that.

"Bloody Hell! Harry, cancel the wards! Ouch, damn it, that hurts!" The wards had been specialized for Harry by Bill Weasley; only Harry could cancel them to let someone in. They also stung an intruder quite viciously; a fact that Draco was aware of, so Harry didn't know why he kept trying.

Harry opened the door but didn't take down the wards. "What do you want?" He could feel Blaise's warmth behind him and was grateful that he wouldn't have to do this by himself. "Won't Oliver be waiting for you?"

Draco stopped fighting and looked at his former boyfriend. "Why did you change the wards?"

Harry did his best imitation of a Slytherin sneer. "Why wouldn't I? Wouldn't want to bore you with my boring presence in my boring flat now, would I? Why are you here?"

"I wanted to see you." Draco did his best to look pleading.

"I don't want to see you." Harry shut the door in his face, but kept up the see-through spell, entertaining Ron and Hermione, who had just arrived with George. They got to watch Draco try to force his way through the wards again, causing George to laugh harder than he had in years. When Blaise noticed tears in Harry's eyes, he put his arms around him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong. George hasn't laughed like that since before Fred died. It's good to hear it again."


	4. Chapter 4

~OOooOO~

Blaise figured that this was probably a good time to continue his talk with George so, when Harry, Ron and Hermione went into the kitchen to make something to eat, he pulled George aside to speak with him again, casting a privacy bubble around them. Everyone could see them, but no one could hear them. George looked at him curiously.

"Were you serious about wanting to be a part of Harry's future?"

"I've wanted that since our seventh year at Hogwarts. But Wood got there first, followed by Draco. I want Harry to be happy; I don't think he has been truly happy in years."

George shook his head. "He hasn't, not since Remus disappeared."

"Disappeared? Wasn't he killed in the final battle?"

"No, Lucius Malfoy cast a spell that sent him somewhere, but we never found out where. When Harry tried to question him, Malfoy only laughed and told him that Remus was where Harry could never look. We've tried to find him over the years, but we haven't been successful." George looked at Blaise as if sizing him up. "If you really want to make Harry happy, find Remus. He'll love you forever. Oh and, by the way, you have our approval."

Blaise's eyes widened. "I do? Who is 'we'?"

"Me, Ron, Hermione and Ginny; Ginny explained that you are trying to help Harry, but Ron said that that wasn't all. I figured out, from what you said earlier, that you want to be with Harry. As long as you don't hurt him, we're behind you. Mum and Dad will be as well; Bill and Charlie will be okay with it, if you treat him well."

"I plan on treating him as well as I possibly can." He stopped suddenly; Luna's comments were starting to make sense. "There are two that need you..." He turned quickly. "What happened to Sirius Black?"

George's eyes closed. "Bellatrix Lestrange hit him with a spell and sent him into the Veil in the Department of Mysteries. We never found out what spell, we don't even know if it killed him."

_'There are two that need you to find them...'_ The words kept repeating themselves in Blaise's mind. "If it didn't kill him, how could he get into the Veil? That's only for those who die." He began to pace, dragging the privacy bubble and George along with him. "What if Lucius and Bellatrix used the same spell? What if they're both inside the Veil, with no way out? The only one still alive to tell me would be Lucius Malfoy, and he's in Azkaban." _'One who is locked away will help, but for a small price. Get him what he wants and the information will be yours.'_ Luna's words chased him around the privacy bubble. George was staring at him, worried about his mental stability. He looked up and caught the expression on George's face. "No, I'm not crazy. Luna Lovegood told me today that there were two people who need me to find them and only someone who is locked away can help me. What if she was talking about Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, and the one who could help me is Lucius Malfoy?" He needed to get to Azkaban, now! He surreptitiously activated the beeper he wore on his belt. He took it off and pretended to look at it. "Damn! Why now?" He cancelled the privacy bubble and stalked into the kitchen, George on his heels.

"Harry, Love? I've got an emergency I have to deal with. I'm sorry, but I have to leave and it may take me a few days to take care of this. I'll owl you tomorrow and let you know when I'll be back, alright?" His eyes pleaded with Harry to understand.

Harry placed a hand on Blaise's arm and nodded. "It's alright. You take care of what you need to. I'll be here, but please don't forget to owl me." Blaise nodded and absent-mindedly pressed his lips to Harry's before disapparating. Harry lifted a hand to his lips, staring at where Blaise had been.

Hermione walked over to Harry and slid an arm around his waist. "First kiss?"

Harry nodded and smiled.

~OOooOO~

Blaise apparated to the visitor's receiving area of Azkaban prison. He requested to see Lucius Malfoy immediately, shamelessly using his name and connection to Harry. He was led to a private room cut in half by a visible restraint field. Lucius was led into the other side where he sat in the chair provided.

"To what do I owe this pleasure, Mr. Zabini? My own son won't even come to visit me."

"I find that I need your assistance, Mr. Malfoy. The company I own is doing some research into what makes werewolves transform like they do. We are trying to make the transformation as pain-free as possible for them. The problem is getting them to trust us. I can only think of one werewolf who might, but you are the only one who knows where he might be." Blaise felt absolutely no qualms about lying to the man, after all, Lucius Malfoy's whole life had been one huge lie.

"Ah, Remus Lupin. Yes, I do know where he is." He chuckled to himself. "Why do you want him?"

"He's the only one who might be able to convince other werewolves to allow my company to test our potions on them."

Lucius shook his head. "That's not the whole truth; you know it's not. Tell me why you need Lupin and I _**might**_ consider giving you the information you need."

Blaise looked at the older man thoughtfully. "Hmm...now why would I do that? I can always try to find another werewolf that's as persuasive as he is." He watched Lucius carefully, seeing the curiosity in his eyes, only to have that curiosity quickly replaced by fear. _Now why would he be afraid?_ Blaise felt the chill in the air before he realised what was causing Lucius' fear. He spun around in his seat and saw a Dementor hovering in the doorway to the room. Lucius began to shrink back in his seat, trying to get as far away from the Dementor as possible. Blaise fought the effects of the creature's proximity as he tried to process Lucius' actions.

"The Dementors bother you greatly, don't they, Mr. Malfoy? Wouldn't you like to be placed somewhere else? Somewhere far away from the Dementors' effects...yes, I can see that _**is**_ what you'd like." Blaise examined his fingernails as he waited for Lucius to answer him, trying not to pay attention to the horrifying images of the war that popped into his head.

"Make it leave!" Lucius hissed at the human guard.

The man looked at him and laughed. "Five years here Malfoy and you're still not used to them. Ha! If only your Death Eater friends could see you now!" The guard continued to chuckle at the cowering man.

"I dare say, Mr. Malfoy, that your reaction is probably much worse than the reactions of the other Death Eaters who reside here. After all, you are the last Death Eater left from Voldemort's Inner Circle, aren't you? Where's Remus Lupin?" Blaise ignored the images of finding his father lying in a pool of his own blood, but the effort was taxing his strength; he wouldn't be able to keep from reacting for much longer.

"Go to Hell!" Lucius was now out of his seat and pressed against the far wall.

"Ah, but then I couldn't help you get away from the Dementors, could I?" Blaise saw the spark of interest that overcame the fear for a moment.

"What can you do?"

"What would you like me to do?"

"Get me away from the bloody Dementors!"

"Where's Remus Lupin?"

Blaise saw the resignation come over the older man's face; he knew he'd lost the battle. "Get rid of it and I'll tell you...but you have to get me away from them for good."

Blaise nodded at the guard and watched as he cast his patronus at the creature. It vanished from the doorway, no doubt off to torment someone else. "Where is Remus Lupin...and is Sirius Black with him?"

Lucius stared at him as he tried to control his breathing. "How did you know about Black? Bella told us that only she knew that he wasn't dead; she was the first to cast the spell successfully."

"Let's just say that my informants know a great many things about that family. Does it work on others, or will it only work on Lupin?"

"No, it will work on both, but you have to specify that you want both men. The spell only pulls specific people back from the Veil, in the same condition and age they were when they were sent in. The spell can only be cast once by you, so you must include both men when you cast the spell."

Blaise conjured parchment and quill and handed them to the guard. "Give me the spell and I'll get you transferred to the section with the human guards."

Ten minutes later, Blaise strode into the warden's office, parchment in hand.


	5. Chapter 5

~OOooOO~

Harry was pacing in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts. Blaise's owl had said to meet him here, but he didn't know why. He was a little early, but he had a feeling he didn't want to be late for this meeting with Blaise. He wondered what the business was that had kept them apart for two days; he'd just have to wait for an explanation.

In the infirmary, Blaise was explaining some things to two men sitting on hospital beds in front of him. "Harry doesn't know that I was able to free you from the Veil. He thinks I was called away on business. There are some things you're going to have to understand before we can go meet him."

Sirius Black and Remus Lupin both nodded.

"Sirius, how old was Harry when you were sent into the veil?"

"Fifteen."

"Remus, how old was he when you were sent?"

"Seventeen."

"Alright, you have to realize that, while you have not aged, he has. Harry is now twenty-two years old; his birthday was last month. We both graduated from Hogwarts five years ago. There are some changes in Harry that have happened since the last time you saw him. He's grown, he's almost the same height as me, and he's become a little less trusting of others."

"What caused the last one?" Sirius wanted to know who had hurt his godson.

"A lot of things caused it. Feeling like he was nothing but a tool for Dumbledore, being used by people to get what they wanted and being treated like shite by his last two boyfriends."

"_**Boyfriends**_?"

"Harry's gay?"

Blaise paused. Apparently this was something neither man had known. "Yes, boyfriends. I am working toward becoming his next boyfriend, but I have to get past what the others have done to him first."

Remus looked at Sirius and then back at Blaise. "Well, I will say this, it took one hell of a wizard to pull both of us out of there. Not only that, but you pulled only me, not Moony." Blaise was confused and looked his question at the older man.

"Moony was my wolf. When I was sent into the Veil, we became two separate entities, with two separate bodies. You specified me and Sirius only, you didn't state that you wanted Moony as well; we left him there in the Veil. I don't care who you are or what you may have done in the past...you were able to make me who I really am for the first time since I was a child, for that you will have my eternal gratitude." Sirius turned to him, noticing for the first time that his eyes were blue, not the amber colour he was used to.

He raised a hand hesitantly to his friend's face, but stopped only centimetres away. "May I still call you Moony? I don't think I can stop calling you that after so many years."

Remus chuckled. "Yes Padfoot, you may still call me Moony. He was a part of me for so long, I'm not sure I'd answer to a different nickname."

"Do you have any questions before we go meet Harry?"

"How has he been, really."

"For a while after your 'death', Sirius, he was inconsolable. It took him a long time to get over that, he felt responsible. After your disappearance, Remus, he seemed to lose all of the spark that he had in him. He let others tell him what to do; he had no fight left in him. I've seen some of that come back over the last week, but that's the first time since we left Hogwarts. I'm hoping that, with you two back in his life, he'll start to become the person he once was...the man I fell in love with."

"How long have you been in love with my godson? And does he know how you feel?"

"I've known I love him since our seventh year, but it probably started before that, before I even knew he was gay. And, no, he doesn't know yet. After what Oliver Wood and Draco Malfoy did to him, he needs to trust me before he'll believe me."

Sirius clenched his teeth. "You can tell me what they did later on. Was I ever exonerated?"

"Yes, you were. After your 'death', evidence was brought forward that Peter Pettigrew was still alive and only died just before You-Know-Who."

The three men stood and, after one last check by Madam Pomfrey, left the infirmary to meet Harry.

~OOooOO~

Harry turned at the sound of footsteps echoing in the hall and started to walk toward Blaise, but stopped and stared as he saw the two men following him. His knees gave out and he fell to the floor, still staring at them. Blaise ran to help him off of the floor, so that his godfather and Remus could greet him properly. He was shaking as he reached out a hand to touch Sirius' face and then Remus'. He choked back a sob and flung himself into Sirius' arms. He ran his hands all over Sirius' face and back, muttering the entire time, "You're real, Oh God, you're real!" Then he did the same for Remus. He let go and sat back on the floor, crying; all three men joined him there.

"How...Blaise...how?"

"Remember what Luna said? _'There are two who need you to find them, and find them you shall. One who is locked away will help, but for a small price. Get him what he wants and the information will be yours.'_ I figured out that she meant Sirius and Remus. I went to Azkaban to see Lucius, to confirm that Remus was alive and I got him to admit that Sirius was alive as well. In exchange for getting him moved away from the Dementors, he gave me the spell to pull them both out of the Veil. It did have one side effect, though."

"W-what?"

"I didn't pull the wolf out. Apparently, when Remus was sent into the Veil, it separated his wolf from him and gave the wolf its own body. I didn't specify Sirius, Remus _**and**_ the wolf, just Sirius Black and Remus Lupin."

Harry looked at his honourary godfather, also noticing his eye colour. "Is he right, you're not a werewolf anymore?"

"No, I'm not Harry. Moony got his own body when we were sent there. I'm not sure where he was when Blaise cast the spell, but he didn't come with us; he's still behind the Veil."

"He'll have to stay there; the spell can only be cast once by a person, that's why I had to specify both of you in the spell." He looked at Harry. "Are you okay?"

Harry just nodded, not trusting his voice right then. He felt more tears well up, but manfully forced them back. He ran his hand over Sirius and Remus' faces again. "You're really here; I'm not imagining this, am I?"

"No Harry, you're not imagining this. We're really here and we're all sitting in the entrance hall at Hogwarts, getting some really strange looks from Minerva McGonagall." Sirius looked over Harry's head and smiled at the Headmistress. She returned his smile with a shaky one of her own before crumpling to the floor in a dead faint.

Blaise got up and walked over to her, afraid to touch her; this was, after all, the woman who haunted a good many students' nightmares. "Rennervate!"

Minerva moaned and sat up, looking at Remus and Sirius again. "Please tell me I haven't lost my mind."

"No, Minerva, you're just as sane as you always have been. We've been rescued from the Veil." Remus also stood and helped the ageing lady back onto her feet. "Mr. Zabini found a way to bring us back, since we never actually died."

She stood still for a moment and then sent her patronus to Kingsley Shacklebolt, the Minister of Magic. Within five minutes, he appeared, running up the front steps. He stood and stared at the two men, lost for words. Harry watched, worriedly, as Kingsley stepped up to Sirius, a stern expression on his face, but then he pulled him into a tight hug.

"Gods! I never thought I'd see you again!" He turned to Remus and did the same. "Or you. What happened, where did you come from?"

Remus told him what he knew, explaining that Blaise had gone to Azkaban to see Lucius. "And the result is as you see. We weren't killed when the spells sent us into the Veil, so Mr. Zabini was able to get us out. I don't know what Voldemort had to do to create that spell, but it worked. He may have been cruel and insane, but he was extremely intelligent."

"Intelligence will only get you so far if you're crazy on top of it. We need to let everyone know that you're back and that you, Sirius, were never guilty of the crimes you were sent to Azkaban for. We released a statement saying that you had been posthumously cleared of all charges, but since you aren't dead, we need to re-release that statement with more detail." Kingsley turned to Harry. "Are you willing to put your name behind that statement? The public will accept it better if their hero stands behind the Ministry's words."

"Hell yes! I've got my godfathers back, you don't seriously think I'm going to step away from them now, do you?" Harry still felt like the only thing keeping him upright was Blaise's arm around his waist. He made a mental note to get the whole story out of him later, including why he lied about having to take care of business.

Blaise, seeming to know what Harry was thinking, leaned in to whisper in his ear. "I'll tell you everything you want to know when I get you home. We need to show a united front first, though. Let the Ministry make its statement and we can take Sirius and Remus to your house in London."

"Well, since he's back, it's Sirius' house again. I don't know that he'll want to live there...he's always hated that house." Harry looked at Sirius and Remus. "The only places we have ready for you two would be Grimmauld and my flat. I only have one extra bedroom, so that's kind of out of the question."

"Um...Harry?" Remus looked from Harry to Sirius and back again. "I don't think that will be much of a problem." Sirius draped his arm around Remus' shoulders and smiled at his godson's gobsmacked expression.

"You...I mean...both of you...are together?" Harry wasn't upset by this revelation, just surprised. Remus and Sirius had never let it show that they were anything other than friends. He smiled and hugged them both. "Well, in that case, take the spare bedroom, but put up silencing spells. However," he looked at Sirius, "I expect you to either tear down Grimmauld and rebuild or buy another place. I have the feeling I'm going to need my privacy eventually." He shot a quick look at Blaise.

Blaise looked at Harry, questioning the statement. "After you explain to me what happened, I'll explain to you what I meant." He looked at Kingsley. "Do we go straight to the Ministry building or do you want to do this somewhere else?"

"Actually, I was thinking Gringotts. Diagon Alley will be fairly crowded right now, with all of the students getting their last minute supplies for the term. Sirius and Remus will both need to go there anyway to prove that they're alive. We might as well just make the statement on their steps."


	6. Chapter 6

~OOooOO~

Minerva agreed to go with them, as well as Poppy Pomfrey, as she was the one who verified that they were indeed Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. Harry fire-called Ron and Hermione, who then fire-called the rest of the Weasleys and told them to be at Gringotts within the hour. While Sirius, Remus and Harry were taking care of business inside of Gringotts, Ron, Hermione and George pulled Blaise aside.

"You did this! You found them for Harry, didn't you?" Blaise nodded and was pulled into a tight hug by Ron and Hermione first and then by George, who whispered into his ear, "Thank you! Harry will never forget this. Both Oliver and Draco always told him to forget about Remus, that he was dead."

They heard gasps of surprise from people all around them and turned to look. Kingsley, Harry, Sirius and Remus had just walked out of Gringotts' front doors and were standing on the top step, looking out over the sea of people who started to gather in front of them. They, along with Minerva McGonagall and Poppy Pomfrey, moved to stand with the other men; Blaise walked over and clasped Harry's hand in his. Harry looked at him, smiled and then leaned in and pressed his lips to Blaise's.

"Hey, hey...none of that now. You can wait until you're alone for that." Sirius was one to talk, he had his arm around Remus' shoulders and Remus' arm was wound around Sirius' waist; it didn't look like they intended to let go of each other for a long time.

As Kingsley spoke to the assembled crowd, Blaise ran his eyes over the people in front of them. He noticed Draco and Oliver standing off to one side. Oliver's expression was one of complete shock, while Draco's was a mixture of shock and anger. Blaise knew that Draco was thinking about how to get around this obstacle...he had been telling Harry for years to forget about Remus and move on, that the man was dead. Blaise met Draco's eyes and the jealousy there was plain to see. Blaise had accomplished what he had originally set out to do, but now it was time to move on to phase two of his plan...get Harry to see that Blaise was perfect for him.

Blaise didn't know it, but Harry had also seen the jealousy in Draco's eyes and was ecstatic. Now he could work on getting Blaise to forget about making Draco jealous and concentrate on getting the two of them together.

~OOooOO~

Harry and Blaise spent the next two days helping Sirius and Remus get acclimated to the new world they had returned to. When Sirius had been thrown into the Veil, Harry was still a child and Voldemort was still alive. It was taking him a bit longer than Remus to get used to Harry being a grown man. He kept having to tell himself not to jump all over Blaise about snogging Harry in the kitchen and sitting room; they were staying at Harry's flat after all. On the third day, he and Remus decided to go look at Grimmauld Place, to see if they wanted to work with it, rebuild it or just tear it down and buy something new.

In the end, they decided that they wanted to keep Grimmauld Place, but were going to gut it and start all over. They moved in and began renovations immediately by ripping out the wall containing Walburga Black's portrait. As it wasn't a load-bearing wall, they could just tear it out and put up a new one in its place. Once that was done, the atmosphere of the house changed dramatically; it became a little brighter and easier to be in.

Now that they could be alone in Harry's flat, Blaise decided it was time to have a long talk with Harry. They opened a couple of bottles of butterbeer and sat in the living room, so that they could be comfortable.

"I'm assuming that you're still curious about why I told you I was working and I really wasn't." Blaise figured he'd start and get it out into the open. He felt an enormous amount of guilt for lying to Harry about what he had been doing during the two days he'd been gone. Harry nodded and motioned for him to continue; now that he was going to get an explanation, he didn't want to interrupt.

"George wasn't too sure that I was being honest with him about why I was with you. He told me that you had never stopped looking for Remus, that you knew he wasn't dead. When he and I were talking in the sitting room after the game, it came to me what Luna's words meant. She was talking about Sirius and Remus. The person that was locked away, the one that could help me, was Lucius Malfoy. I went to Azkaban that afternoon and questioned him about Remus. He told me that Voldemort had developed the spell that sent Remus into the Veil and said that, if I could get him transferred into the section of the prison with the human guards, he'd tell me how to get Remus out. I asked about Black and he was surprised; he knew that Bellatrix Lestrange had used the same spell for Sirius, but she'd said that no one knew but her." He looked up and met Harry's eyes. "I didn't tell you where I was going because I didn't want to get your hopes up, only to have them crushed if I was unsuccessful. You mean too much to me; I couldn't do that to you."

Harry's eyes widened and he tried hard not to stammer. "Y-you care about me? In what way?"

Blaise looked down at his hands again before answering. "I'm in love with you Harry. I have been since we were in seventh year. I knew you wouldn't want to be with me then, I wasn't very clear about where my loyalties lay. I had always been neutral, but didn't shout that out; it would have made me a target for the Slytherins who weren't."

Harry nodded, agreeing. "I can see how that would be. I've always been attracted to you, but wasn't sure of myself enough to ask you out. Not to mention that Draco was always with you...I wasn't sure if you were dating him or not." The face Blaise made gave Harry his answer.

"Never, he's too much of a spoiled, arrogant prat for me to be with." He paused for a moment. "I never told anyone, but the sorting hat wanted to put me into Gryffindor. I argued with it, because I knew no one in Gryffindor and already knew most of the Slytherins." He stopped speaking when Harry chuckled.

"I knew we were more alike than we thought, but this is too much. The hat wanted to put me into Slytherin, but that's where Draco went and, at the time, we were not friendly. I had turned down his hand on the train; his reaction to that made me want to be as far away from him as I could get."

"What made you change your mind?"

"Seeing him vulnerable. He'd never shown that type of weakness before and it shocked me; it made me think there was more to him than there really was. He's always been the same; he just uses emotions to get what he wants. He wanted me, so he preyed upon my sympathetic tendencies. I'll never make that mistake again."

Blaise leaned forward, so that their lips were almost touching. "And me? Would I be a mistake?"

"Only if I turned you down." Harry leaned in the rest of the way and brought their lips together. Neither of them had experienced a kiss like this one. Years of torment, of need, were expressed in this kiss. Only when the wards went off did they draw back from each other.

Harry growled slightly at being interrupted, but he got up to answer the door. He knew it would be one of two people, Draco or Oliver; he wasn't expecting it to be both of them. Blaise moved quickly to stand behind Harry again, not willing to let his love deal with these two by himself. He had worked too hard to allow them to mess this up.

"Harry, won't you let us in?" Draco was doing his best to be polite; they wanted to speak with Harry about Sirius and Remus, but it didn't look like Harry was going to let them in. Blaise just stood behind Harry like some kind of dark avenging angel, his dark eyes trained on them.

"No. We have nothing to say to each other. You two have found your perfect mate in each other. Oliver, you now have someone whom you can't control without a fight and Draco, you now have someone who will fight with you over every little thing. I wish you two much happiness...never let it be said that I can't observe the social niceties." He moved to shut the door, but Oliver's voice stopped him.

"We wanted to apologize for doubting you about Remus. I know I told you to forget about him, that he was dead, and I'm sorry for that. I didn't know that there was a spell that could do something like that."

"No one knew, except, quite possibly, for Draco here. His father was the one who cast the spell, so it only stands to reason that he knew about it, too." The flush that crept over Draco's face was a give-away. "See, he did know...and he's been telling me for almost three years that Remus was dead."

"Harry, what my father did was wrong, but I didn't know that there was a way to get him out. I didn't know about Black."

"According to your father, Draco, your Auntie Bellatrix was the first one to use the spell." Blaise decided to use his knowledge against his former friend. "He said that she told the Death Eaters that the spell worked. I'm going to assume that you were either at the meeting or your father told you about it later. He wouldn't be able to keep something of that magnitude from you, especially if you could use the knowledge against Harry. No, you knew Sirius was alive, you just chose not to tell Harry."

Harry looked at Blaise and then back at Draco; the unadulterated hate pouring out of Draco's eyes told Harry everything he needed to know. "You _**did**_ know...how could you! How could you keep something like that from me? You knew what Sirius meant to me and you kept that secret even after the war was over. I'm never going to forgive you for this, Malfoy." He started to close the door, but stopped himself. "You will not like what I'll do to you if you ever come near me again. You had best keep your distance, if you know what's good for you." He slammed the door shut and immediately turned to Blaise.

Blaise could see the tears in his eyes and knew that this hurt far more than the reason Draco had given when they broke up. Draco had knowingly kept this information from Harry; though, to give Draco the benefit of the doubt, Blaise didn't think there was anything that could have been done until Lucius gave up the information on how to get Sirius and Remus out.

He wrapped his arms around Harry and held him tight to his chest. He could feel the sobs shaking Harry even though he made no noise. He bent slightly and picked Harry up in his arms, cradling him as one would a new bride, and took him into his bedroom. He tried to lay Harry on the bed, but he refused to let go of the front of Blaise's shirt. Blaise crawled into the bed with him and pulled Harry back into his arms. He held Harry as he cried, mentally going over ways to ruin Draco Malfoy.


	7. Chapter 7

~OOooOO~

The first place Blaise went to was _The Daily Prophet_; he knew that they would be good for spreading the word about Draco. He spoke directly with the editor, making sure that he knew to keep Blaise's name out of the story and that Harry was to be mentioned as little as possible. From there, he met with the one reporter who could be guaranteed to tell the whole story and make it look as bad as possible for Draco...Rita Skeeter; she was, after all, the best at ruining someone's reputation.

_**DRACO MALFOY STILL KEEPING SECRETS?**_

_By Rita Skeeter_

_It has come to this writer's attention that there have been secrets being kept by Draco Malfoy, former Death Eater. I have been informed by my editors that Mr. Malfoy knew of some of the secrets of the Veil in the Department of Mysteries and kept them to himself. _

_Several years ago, one of the Death Eaters, Bellatrix Lestrange, maternal aunt to Draco Malfoy, cast a spell that sent Sirius Black, godfather to Harry Potter, into the Veil, but kept him alive. It basically kept him in stasis, for lack of a better description, putting a halt to his ageing and keeping his health in the same state it was in when he was sent there. Only two people left alive at the time of this writing knew of her actions, Lucius and Draco Malfoy. Two years later, Lucius Malfoy used the same spell to send Remus Lupin into the Veil, also holding him in stasis. The elder Mr. Malfoy is currently serving a life sentence in Azkaban Prison, having been convicted to this sentence for his Death Eater activities. It was only at the insistence of Mr. Harry Potter that Lucius Malfoy did not receive the Dementor's Kiss._

_R.S – Mr. Malfoy, did you know what the spell used by Bellatrix Lestrange would do?_

_L.M. - Of course I did. Do you take me for an idiot? I knew everything that went on in reference to spells and curses alike._

_R.S. - Did you know that it had been used on Sirius Black?_

_L.M. – Yes__._

_R.S. - Is it true that you were the one to send Remus Lupin into the Veil?_

_L.M. – Yes__._

_R.S. - Is it also true that you were the only one who knew how to bring both Sirius Black and Remus Lupin out of the Veil?_

_L.M. - No, my son, Draco, was also well versed in the counter spell that would be needed to bring those two back._

_There you have it Readers! The admission that Draco Malfoy knew all along how to retrieve his former partner's godfathers from the prison that they had been sent to. The question is...why didn't he use this knowledge to free the two men? Was there an ulterior motive for not using the spell? Did he not wish for The Boy Who Lived to be happy? And all of this begs another question...can we really trust Draco Malfoy?_

When he saw the article, Blaise was happy with the results. He contacted his solicitors, instructing them to quickly start buying shares of Malfoy Industries; they were to make the shareholders offers that they would be fools to turn down. Once that was started, Blaise decided to make a few choice visits to the society matrons, hoping to gain their promises to exclude Draco from any and all society affairs. This would hurt him almost as much as losing Malfoy Industries would.

After two weeks of buying up shares in Draco's company, he realised that he now held almost half of the stock. The other fifty-one percent of the shares were divided between Draco and Narcissa Malfoy. His solicitors informed him of the next shareholder's meeting and he made an appeal to Narcissa on the day before that meeting.

"Mrs. Malfoy." Blaise bowed low over the woman's hand. Even though he held her in somewhat low esteem, she was the one person who could grant the boon he was going to ask for.

"Mr. Zabini, it is good to see you again. You are looking well."

"As are you, Madam. The years must have passed you by." He continued on in this vein until he decided to ask his question.

"Mrs. Malfoy, may I ask how your son is faring these days?" He waited for the controlled explosion he knew was going to come.

"Draco?" Her face flushed delicately, indicating her heightened emotions. "As well as someone can be for one who cares nothing for his parents or his livelihood. He has lost almost the majority of the shares in Malfoy Industries and he doesn't care!"

"I hope you realise that I have your best interests in mind when I tell you what I came to say." She nodded briefly and motioned to him to continue. "I have purchased the forty-nine percent of the stock that was held outstanding by your shareholders. I am certain that you know just how protective I can be when dealing with a company that I own. I wish to buy two more percent of the stock from you, to give me the majority share and ownership of Malfoy Industries."

The shock on her face was apparent for a brief moment before it was replaced by a look of cunning. "And what would your purpose for this be?"

"As you stated, Draco doesn't care about the businesses that are owned by Malfoy Industries. I would hazard a guess, however, that you do. You realise that these businesses give you your income, without them, you have nothing. I would like to take over and make Malfoy Industries a name to be proud of once more. You would retain your twenty-three percent stock and I would make every attempt at buying Draco out of his shares. Once I succeed with that, I will give you your two percent back and make an offer to you for the remaining twenty-four."

"You would still retain the majority of the stock, correct?"

"Yes, I would. The companies owned by Malfoy Industries are good, solid companies and would make excellent additions to my other successful enterprises. Be warned, however, that I have no intentions of giving up on this; I want to own Malfoy Industries, and I _**will**_ eventually gain ownership. I am offering this to you so that you do not lose your only source of income."

Narcissa thought for a moment and then called a house elf. "Tippy, please bring my solicitor here at once...I wish to speak with him." The elf bowed and disappeared with a pop, returning a moment later with a startled looking middle aged man.

The man bowed low before Narcissa, waiting for her to give him leave to rise. "How may I be of assistance to you today, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"Sterling, this is Blaise Zabini. He owns forty-nine percent of Malfoy Industries at the present time. I wish to make a gift to him of two percent of my stock, giving him fifty-one percent investment and ownership of Malfoy Industries. Please discuss the necessary details with him." She looked back at Blaise. "Do not fail me, Mr. Zabini. I am counting on you to secure my future."

He bowed his head in acquiescence and moved to sit with the solicitor at the large desk in the corner of the room. No matter how he felt about her, Blaise would make certain that Narcissa would be well cared for, just as he cared for his own mother. No one deserved to have Draco for a son.


	8. Chapter 8

~OOooOO~

The next day at the shareholder's meeting, Draco was astonished to see only his mother in the boardroom when he entered. "Where are the shareholders?"

"They will be here soon; we were a little early after all."

Draco looked at the door when it opened to admit Blaise Zabini. He was dressed in immaculate robes over a muggle suit. He walked to the chair opposite of Narcissa and opened his briefcase. After shuffling some papers around, he looked up, caught Narcissa's eye and then turned to Draco.

"I don't know if you were informed of this, but as of yesterday, I own fifty-one percent of the stock in Malfoy Industries. I am now the owner of this business and all of the businesses entailed therein. I am here to request that you sell me your twenty-six percent of the remaining shares of interest in Malfoy Industries."

Draco could feel his face turning red with anger. "What do you mean you own Malfoy Industries? How is that possible? Father owned fifty-one percent of the stock, which was divided between me and Mother. I own twenty-six percent and she owns twenty-five. How could you possibly own fifty-one?"

Narcissa delicately cleared her throat to gain her son's attention. "I sold Mr. Zabini two percent, so that he now holds the majority of the stock. You care nothing for these businesses...I, however, _**do**_ care. They are my livelihood and the only income I have. Mr. Zabini has a proposition for you, I suggest you listen."

Blaise placed his offer on the table, fair market value for his twenty-six percent plus a set amount for agreeing to the sale. "I warn you, Draco, I will not accept 'no' for an answer. You don't care about Malfoy Industries and I wish to ensure your mother's security. You are on the verge of running two of the major businesses owned by Malfoy Industries into the ground. You have invested no new capital into these businesses since your father was placed in Azkaban and they are literally on the edge of collapse. If you lose those two businesses, Malfoy Industries will crumble. I am offering you a way out without getting your hands dirty from the fallout of the collapse."

Draco felt the vein in his temple throbbing; Zabini had him by the bollocks and he knew it. If he didn't sell those shares, Malfoy Industries would fail, taking his and his mother's only means of support with it; if he sold his shares, he could invest the monies into other enterprises, ones guaranteed to present him with a return on his investment. His father would kill him, if he ever got out of Azkaban, but he saw no other way to save his arse. His own mother had sold him out! Combine this downfall with the social blacklisting he was being subjected to and his humiliation was complete.

Blaise watched the emotions roll over Draco's face, starting with anger and slowly changing to resignation. He knew he had won and was inwardly rejoicing; he had succeeded in ruining Draco both socially and financially.

Blaise slowly pushed the papers for the sale of the stock over to Draco and watched as he hesitantly took the quill and signed his name. Blaise took them back and signed his name below Draco's; the papers reshuffled themselves back into an orderly stack and automatically produced two copies. He kept the original for himself and handed a copy to Draco and one to Narcissa. He pulled another paper out of his briefcase and signed the paper authorising the transfer of funds from his business account to Draco's private one. He signed his name and created two copies of this paper as well, again passing one to Draco and one to Narcissa; the third he sent to Gringotts, knowing that he would receive a copy of it by owl within two days. He now owned Malfoy Industries outright.

Draco stood and silently left the boardroom; he no longer had a place there. He went to his office and cleared out the few personal items he had in there and sent them to his house. At least his house was paid for; he wouldn't have to risk Gringotts taking it away from him. He left the offices with his head high, the Malfoy mask firmly in place, as if this were any other day; he assumed that the employees had not been informed of the sale yet and he was not willing to leave with his tail between his legs. The moment he left the office building, he apparated to his house and, sitting in the chair behind his desk, broke down in defeated tears. All his life he had been told that he was better than everyone else, that they should bow down before a Malfoy; now he was just like them...he had met, and been defeated by, someone better.

~OOooOO~

Harry read and re-read the article; somehow, seeing it in print made the truth that much more horrible. Draco had always known about Sirius and Remus _**and**_ had known how to release them. He sat at his small kitchen table and put his head into his hands. He let the tears fall, cleansing him of the stain of betrayal. He wanted this to be over when Blaise got back; he had told Harry what he was doing and now Harry wondered how it had gone. He heard the slight pop of someone apparating into his living room and hastily wiped away his tears.

He felt Blaise's arms surround him, holding him tightly. "Are you alright, Love?"

Harry shook his head in the negative. "Seeing it just makes it worse. He and I were together for three years and never once did he tell me anything about Sirius and Remus. He could have released them at any time and he never did. Why? What did I do to make him hate me that much that he wouldn't tell me about my godfathers?"

"I don't think it's so much about hate as it is about jealousy. Draco has always been jealous of you, Harry, you know that. That's one reason it shocked me so much when you got together with him." Blaise drew him out of his chair and into the living room. He pulled Harry down next to him on the sofa. "The shareholder's meeting went very well. Draco was upset that I now own Malfoy Industries and that there was nothing he could do about it. I am making a trip to Azkaban tomorrow, to inform Lucius of what has happened and why. He'll know that I will take care of the businesses and Narcissa's well-being for him. I wasn't going to allow Draco to drag his mother down and leave her without a means of support."

"Thank you for that. She saved my life when she told Voldemort that I was dead during the final battle. I owe her a life debt for that."

"You can talk that over with her, but I'm willing to see this as payback for that life debt. You are my life, Harry Potter, and I'm going to spend the rest of our lives making you as happy as I possibly can." He paused to think for a minute. "There's going to be fallout when news of this hits _The Daily Prophet_, but it won't be anything that we can't handle. I'll just keep talking to Skeeter and have her print a series of articles about what I plan on doing to resurrect Malfoy Industries and make the company a viable, working business again. Draco had almost run it into the ground in the five years that he's been in charge."

"Let me talk to Narcissa today...I'll see if we can use this as repayment of my life debt. You'll need to come with me, though, so that she knows that you're the one who suggested it."

Blaise nodded and walked over to the floo. He spoke with Narcissa for several minutes and then stood back up as the floo flared bright. Narcissa Malfoy gracefully stepped out of the hearth, steadied by Blaise's hand. She walked over to the sofa where Harry was sitting and drew her wand.

"I, Narcissa Black Malfoy, do hereby consider the life debt owed to me by Harry James Potter to be paid in full. No further repayment of this debt is required." A bright white light surrounded Narcissa and Harry and then dissipated. Harry felt the magic wash over him and, after the wave had vanished, he felt a little bit lighter. "You know, no matter that this is paid back, everyone still breathing in England owes you a life debt. You saved us when you defeated the Dark Lord. No," she stopped him as he would have drawn his wand, "that is a debt that should forever remain unpaid. We owe our very lives to you and, if the debt was to be cancelled, there would be no stopping the next Dark Lord from rising. As long as that debt remains in effect, a new Dark Lord cannot be created from anyone who was alive when the debt was created...considering the life span of most wizards, I don't think we'll have to worry about it again for a long time."

"How is it then that Voldemort was able to rise after Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald?"

"The Dark Lord had already started his rise before that debt was created. His career started before Grindelwald was defeated in 1945. The Dark Lord was already calling himself Lord Voldemort" here Narcissa shivered violently, "before he graduated from Hogwarts in the same year. By that token, a new dark lord had already been created before the last one was defeated, so that life debt didn't exist...at least not for Tom Riddle."

Harry nodded; this was yet one more thing about the wizarding world that no one had ever taught him. "How are you doing, Mrs. Malfoy?"

"I am well, Mr. Potter. Now that Blaise has taken care of my future, I am finding that I am much less worried about where I shall live or how. I am not certain how Lucius will take the news, once it reaches him, but I will deal with that when it happens."

Blaise broke into the conversation. "Actually, Mrs. Malfoy, I am going to Azkaban to see Lucius tomorrow. He deserves to know what his son did with the company that was left to him, but not to hear about it from The Daily Prophet. I will explain to him why I did what I did and that your income and livelihood are safe, as we are the only two shareholders." Narcissa smiled her thanks.

Once Narcissa had left the flat, Blaise gathered Harry in his arms again. "I love you, Harry James Potter. I'm going to spend the rest of my life proving that to you." He bent his head down just enough so that he was able to capture Harry's mouth in a searing, mind-blowing kiss.

Even though they had only been together for just under a month, Harry knew that he was ready to take this next step with Blaise. He hadn't made Oliver or Draco wait this long and he realised that that had been one of the biggest mistakes he could have made. He hadn't waited long enough to see if there were true emotions or if it was just lust. He knew that the feelings between himself and Blaise were real and very strong. He stopped thinking and gave himself over to the kiss.

Blaise could feel when Harry stopped analysing things. The body in his arms relaxed to the point where Blaise felt that he could mould it into any shape he wanted and Harry would let him do it. He picked Harry up in his arms and carried him into the bedroom. He wanted to make their first time absolutely perfect and he felt that carrying his love into the next room would be a good start. He wasn't going to do it often though; Harry was no lightweight. He laid Harry on the bed and, still plundering his mouth, began to remove Harry's clothing. Harry made a gesture with his hand and Blaise could hear the sounds of the floo closing and locking down on itself; he smiled into the kiss...trust Harry to remember something like that in the midst of passion; he'd ask about the wandless magic later.

It seemed like forever to Harry, but, finally, their clothes were gone. The feeling of Blaise's skin against his was enough to make him moan aloud and press up against him, trying to get closer than he already was. Blaise complied by laying his body on top of Harry's and grinding his hips down. Harry tore his mouth away from Blaise's to groan loudly. "Please Blaise..."

"Please what, Harry? What do you want? Tell me what you need!" Blaise moved his lips down the line of Harry's neck, latching onto the skin where his pulse pounded underneath. He continued his journey down Harry's body until he reached his nipples. The gasp that Harry produced was a balm to his soul; it made him realise that Harry wanted him just as badly as he wanted Harry.

Harry couldn't believe the sensations that were pouring through his body; it was as if all of his nerve endings had come alive at once and were twitching madly. He didn't know why it felt this way now; it had never felt like this with Draco or Oliver. He grabbed Blaise's hair and tugged him up for another kiss.

Blaise grabbed the first wand he could find by touch and cast a lubrication spell. Moving down Harry's body again, he positioned himself between Harry's legs and then looked up to meet the glowing green eyes of the man below him. "Do you want top or bottom?" Blaise was dying to bottom for Harry, but would let him make the choice.

"Top." Harry could barely get the word out past his clenched teeth; no one had ever given him the choice before. All rational thought left his mind, though, as he watched Blaise start to prepare himself. He gently removed Blaise's fingers and switched positions with him. Blaise still had the wand in his hand, so he cast another lubrication spell on Harry's fingers. Harry gently slid a finger past the tight ring of muscles, causing Blaise to moan. He began to move the finger back and forth slowly, so that he didn't hurt Blaise. After a minute, he added a second finger and began to search for Blaise's sweet spot. He found the bundle of nerves after a moment of searching and then made sure to rub against it every time. He started to stretch Blaise by scissoring his fingers back and forth as he moved them in and out. He added a third finger, slowing down when Blaise hissed in pain.

"Sorry, Love." Blaise shook his head and moved his hips, a sure sign for Harry to continue what he was doing. After a little more stretching, Harry gently withdrew his fingers and, grabbing the wand from Blaise, cast the lubrication spell again. He pumped Blaise's cock with his free hand as he slicked himself up. Once he was satisfied with that, he gently pressed himself forward, taking his time so that he didn't hurt Blaise any more than he already had.

If he lived to be two hundred years old, Blaise didn't think he'd ever forget the feeling of the first time Harry slid into his body. He was going slowly, pushing gently but steadily and then he changed direction and pulled back slightly before pressing forward again. Both of them were panting and sweating profusely by this point and Blaise just wanted to feel Harry completely inside. He wrapped his legs around Harry's hips and pulled him in, getting a squeak of surprise from Harry in response.

The heat was unimaginable; Harry had never topped before but he knew what he didn't like as a bottom, so he made sure that Blaise was with him every step of the way. He braced his upper body on his arms as he waited for Blaise to relax around him. Once he felt the muscles go lax, Harry began to thrust. Once again, he took his time, watching Blaise for any signs of pain or discomfort. What he saw was sheer, unadulterated pleasure wreathing the other man's face. He began to move a little more quickly and changed the angle of his thrusts, trying to find Blaise's prostate. Neither Oliver or Draco had cared if they took care of Harry's pleasure; they had only been concerned with their own; so Harry was determined to bring Blaise off before he found his own heaven.

Blaise had never had such a gentle lover; Harry was proving himself radically different from any other man he'd ever been with. Blaise decided that the pace was too slow, so he lifted his hips, thrusting back at Harry as he thrust down. Their combined movements forced Harry into a different angle, one where he found what he was looking for. Blaise moaned as Harry's cock brushed against his prostate. "There...oh Gods! There!" Harry kept that angle, repeatedly hitting that spot so that Blaise soon saw stars and he could feel his orgasm bearing down on him.

Harry hoped that Blaise was getting close because he didn't know how much longer he could hold off. His hips were pistoning into Blaise's and his release was swiftly creeping up on him when he heard the most beautiful sound he could imagine.

"Harry!" Blaise screamed as he came, his muscles clamping down around Harry, bringing him to the edge of his own release. Harry responded with a deep, guttural growl as he followed Blaise into oblivion.

Harry rode out his orgasm and collapsed limply on top of Blaise; he did, however, have the presence of mind to quickly roll off of him and onto his side. He felt Blaise's arms wrap around him and lifted his head for a slow emotional kiss. Blaise felt for a wand and cast a quick cleansing charm before they both drifted off to sleep, wrapped in each other's arms.


	9. Epilogue

~OOooOO~

Draco Malfoy never quite recovered from the social and economical failure his life had become. Two years after losing Malfoy Industries to Blaise, he dropped out of polite wizarding society completely. Rumours abounded that he had committed suicide rather than deal with the fallout from his losses. The truth of the matter was a little less exciting; he married a rather plain woman of pure blood and had quietly settled down to have two blonde children, both girls. Narcissa, with Lucius' approval, had disowned Draco from ever inheriting any of the remainder of the Malfoy legacy. Instead, Lucius had suggested that they leave the entirety of the Malfoy estate to one of Blaise and Harry's children.

Even though they had the option of using a potion to become parents on their own, Blaise and Harry had decided to adopt a child. They found a young witch who had become pregnant by her married lover and wanted to give the child up for adoption. They paid for her care and gave her a set amount of money and, five months later, became the parents of a beautiful little girl with distinctive blonde hair. They were a little taken aback by the obvious Malfoy genes, but never mentioned it to the birth mother. Arianna Lily Zabini-Potter became the light of her parents' lives and her Daddy and Papa made sure that, while she was a little spoiled, she never let it go to her head. A year after she was born, Harry and Blaise decided that they wanted another child, so they contacted the adoption agency again. It was an agency that dealt strictly with magical children, so the likelihood of the father being someone they knew was high.

The mother, this time, gave them the name of the father and both were surprised when it, once again, was Draco Malfoy. Six months after the contracts were signed; they became the parents of Lucas James and Sirius John Zabini-Potter. Narcissa and Lucius were astonished to find out that they had a grand total of five grandchildren. Only Harry and Blaise's children had any contact with the Malfoys; Draco had reacted very badly to being disowned and wanted nothing to do with his parents.

Draco and his wife had seen the Zabini-Potters in Diagon Alley only once since Draco dropped beneath the wizarding world's radar. It was about two months after the twins had been born; Blaise and Harry had decided that a family outing was needed, as the boys were already starting to outgrow their baby grows and other clothing. The Weasleys had all been informed of the truth of their children's parentage and loved them unconditionally; Ron and Hermione were the godparents for Arianna and Ginny and George were the godparents for Lucas and Sirius.

The whole family, plus Ron, Hermione and George, were sitting outside at the ice cream parlour when Blaise caught sight of a man staring at their children. Draco had been waiting for his wife and daughters to come out of Flourish and Blotts when the sight of three blonde children had halted his progress back into the store. The children were obviously Malfoys, judging by the hair and complexions. Draco had to think back to several of the short affairs he had had over the last three years and realised that he was the father of all three children. He cautiously made his way over to the table.

Blaise stood, moving protectively in front of his family. "May I help you Malfoy?"

Ron and George also stood while Hermione and her twins moved to the back of the table with Harry. No one was going to allow Draco to ruin a perfectly beautiful summer day; the three men formed a semi-circle in front of Harry, Hermione and the children.

"I just...I..." He met Blaise's eyes and then met Harry's. "You're far better parents for them than I ever could have been. Thank you." With that, Draco Malfoy turned around and walked away, meeting his own family in front of the book store. His wife's eyes took in the three small children at the table he had just come from and her face took on a decidedly resigned cast; if she ever needed proof that her husband had cheated on her, it was sitting at that table with Harry and Blaise Zabini-Potter. She turned to look into the sad eyes of her husband and everyone at the table heard his words to her.

"I never meant to hurt you and I give you my word that it will never happen again. I've come to realise that I need to cherish what I have, when I have it." He hesitantly took her hand. "Over the last several months I've found that you can give me what no one else can...your love. I promise that I will work harder to be the husband that you thought I was and the one that I want to be." She nodded and placed a forgiving kiss on his cheek before turning her family and walking out of Diagon Alley.

Harry looked at Blaise. "I wonder if that means that he's finally realised what he did to me? I know that Oliver broke up with him right after the whole thing came out and he's moved on; I think he's seeing someone from the Ministry now."

Blaise settled his arm across Harry's shoulders. "I don't think we'll ever know if Draco will ever realise how much he hurt you. At least Oliver knows and went to therapy for his control issues. I'm not sure Draco will admit to anyone that what he did to you was wrong. At least he knows that our children are loved and cared for. As he said, we're better parents for them than he could have been."

Harry thought for a moment and then smiled at everyone. "I never thought I'd ever say this but...I'm now glad that Draco isn't exactly the faithful type of person. If he hadn't broken up with me, I would never have realised how much I can love someone." He gave Blaise a quick kiss. "And, if he hadn't been unfaithful, we wouldn't have our beautiful family. So, here's to you, Draco Malfoy...you finally made me a happy man!" He raised his cup in a silent toast to the back of the man steadily walking away from them.

Everyone at the table also raised their glasses, understanding that Harry had finally moved on from his hatred of the blonde and was looking forward to the rest of his life with Blaise and their children.


	10. Author's Note

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE!**_

I have a tendency to forget small details when I get caught up in a story. Two reviewers left me notes commenting on Teddy's appearance and the fact that Remus was with Sirius when they were rescued; I apologise for the confusion. Remus is bisexual and was with Sirius up until his 'death'. After he mourned for Sirius, Remus got together with Tonks. Sorry for all of you who happen to like the Tonks/Remus pairing, but she dies sometime before the final battle where Remus is sent into the Veil. Teddy has been raised by Andromeda and Ted Tonks since Remus' disappearance and Harry remains his godfather. I am assuming that Remus takes Teddy back to live with both him and Sirius, but they remain close with the Tonks.

Again, I apologise for the confusion and I hope this rectifies matters!

Marksmom


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